NEW DELHI: After the Shashi Tharoor-led delegation to the US expressed disagreement over Colombia’s statement supporting Pakistan, the state withdrew its statement and “will issue a statement of strong support for our position and understanding of our position,” the Congress MP said.“We met with the Foreign Ministry – the Senior Vice Minister received us. We had some good news: They have withdrawn their statement that disappointed us earlier and will issue a statement of strong support for our position and understanding of our position. Finally, here we are before this beautiful bust of Mahatma Gandhi on the campus of the main university,” Tharoor said.Speaking to the reporters later, he said, “There is no equivalence between those who attack our country and those who defend their own country, and our only disappointment with the earlier statement by Colombia was that it seemed to have overlooked this difference. We’re very pleased to learn that that statement has been withdrawn as you’ve also mentioned, and we are also very pleased that you, as representatives of the people of Colombia, are determined to stand with us for our sovereignty, for peace in the world, for peace in the subcontinent of India and that you are very, very happy that this kind of dialogue will continue between our peoples and our representatives.“Taranjit Singh Sandhu, former Indian ambassador to the United States and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, said that the delegation’s comprehensive briefing was instrumental in prompting Colombia to reverse its stance. “This morning we had a detailed interaction with the acting Foreign Minister and our leader and the entire team made specific points to them explaining to them the timeline which perhaps to an extent they might have missed out. The end result was that they are withdrawing one of the other statements which had come out and have promised and stated, actually quite clearly, on terrorism and the issue. The importance of Colombia, apart from other reasons, is also that it will be a member of the Security Council soon,” he said.Noting that Colombia understood India’s position as it was once plagued by terrorism, BJP MP Shashank Mani said, “It is notable that terrorism has affected Colombia as well. However, after a long struggle, Colombia is now a peaceful country. We have come here with a message of peace. We have clearly stated that we will give a fitting response to every terrorist attack, and when it is over, we want nothing but peace.”Tharoor voiced disappointment during a press conference in Bogotá on Thursday over Colombia’s stance. He noted that India was disheartened by the Colombian government’s decision to offer condolences for the casualties in Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, instead of expressing solidarity with the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. “We were a little disappointed in the reaction of the Colombian government, which apparently expressed heartfelt condolences on the loss of lives in Pakistan after the Indian strikes, rather than sympathising with the victims of terrorism,” said Tharoor.“We will say to our friends in Colombia, there can be no equivalence between those who dispatch terrorists and those who resist them. There can be no equivalence between those who attack and those who defend. We are only exercising our right of self-defence, and if there is any misunderstanding here, on this core, we are here to dispel any such misunderstanding”, he added.Tharoor is heading the multi-party delegation on a tour across the Americas as part of India’s global outreach to emphasize its zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism. Following visits to Panama and Guyana, the delegation arrived in Colombia on Thursday. After wrapping up their engagements there, they are scheduled to continue to Brazil and the United States on Saturday.
